Women in MMA
By Josue Miranda
Fresno, Calif. ( KFSR)—Mixed martial arts (MMA) is heavily dominated by male viewers and practitioners. Simply hearing the word MMA may already conjure up a mental picture of a man with a cauliflower ear and possibly some tattoos. Although this has changed, the last twenty years have seen more women involved across all sports, including the different sectors of MMA.
Coach Valerie Mancha from Manny Mancha Kickboxing Gym in Fresno, CA, shared her passion for teaching women the art of Muay Thai in an exclusive all-women’s class held every other Saturday.
“I’ve always noticed that in any gym you go to, you hardly see any women, so I wanted to kind of start a class where women don’t feel so intimidated to join, and they realize it’s not just for men but can and is also for women,” said Mancha.
Women who begin their Muay Thai journey often face their own personal doubts and may feel unready. Whether this is mental or physical, Coach Valerie believes the best way to overcome this is by simply stepping foot into the gym.
Mancha said, “I don’t think they should be afraid but I do know that it’s very scary going into an environment like that, I kind of want to break the barrier of making it less scary for women”.
Valerie Garza, a combat sport practitioner even before attending MMKG believes it’s a useful skill set women can learn . Garza said, “It teaches to be strong and self-defense, so even if you’re out and about being a female, you have to have that strong backbone. and it teaches you how to stand up for yourself .“
Female students like Garza, with previous experience in an MMA gym, are rare. Most female students start with no experience, like Jada Austin.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Austin. “But once you start honestly, you could feel empowered by the other girls that show up, or you’ll just end up empowering yourself knowing you can keep up with anyone else in the class regardless of your gender.”
Regardless of level and knowledge, Coach Valerie’s philosophy is simple.“Seeing people smile when they’re training and when they are learning something new and then sometimes when they have that aha moment when they are learning something and it just clicks. Seeing women enjoying it and realizing it’s for them too, not just men,” Mancha said.
The hardest part of the journey is beginning it, but it also marks the beginning of a great journey
“You just have to do it,” said Mancha. “I feel like it’s the hardest thing to actually just go. If you’re not sure, if you’re scared, just put some workout clothes on, find a place that has a class and just show up. that’s going to be the hardest part; it’s just showing up, being there and getting started; that’s going to be the first step”.